The USS Whetstone (LSD-27), a Casa Grande-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy, was laid down on 7 April 1945 at the Boston Navy Yard; launched on 18 July 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Worthington S. Bitler, the wife of Captain W. S. Bitler on duty at the Boston Navy Yard; and commissioned on 12 February 1946, with Commander G. R. Keating in command. The ship was struck from the Navy List on 1 September 1971 following transfer to the Maritime Administration for custody and lay up in July 1970. It was sold for scrapping on 17 February 1983. Any service member who served on the USS Whetstone (LSD-27) between 1930 and 1980 was almost certainly exposed to asbestos. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, the US Navy mandated the use of asbestos in submarines, destroyers, escorts, frigates, minesweepers, and other ships. Toxic asbestos fibers could become airborne and inhaled by sailors working on these Navy vessels when they were damaged or worn down.
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